Good or Bad?
I have two grand kids. My wife and I took them
to the movies and a night out at their favorite restaurant. They grab their
video game and cell phone and sat in the back seat as we traveled. They had a
great time at the movies and thanked us for the food and spending time
together.
The next morning on my way to the grocery store, I discovered that the engine cranked slowly and stumbled to a start. No big deal, I thought. The engine started and I went shopping.
Rule #1 A fully charged battery should deliver 12.6 volts. Each battery cell should produce 2.1 volts. There are 6 cells in a lead-acid automotive battery. A quick battery test to determine if your battery is FULLY CHARGED - blow the horn. Yes! Try it!
Strong Horn = Battery is GOOD. Weak horn = Battery is WEAK. No Horn or Faint Horn = Battery is DEAD. Easy!
On my way back to the car, I found the dome light ON when placing groceries in the car. "Maybe the kid sitting on the right side forgot to turn OFF the overhead light switch," I thought to myself. I quickly forgot about it and said nothing to the kids - and enjoyed our two-week stay at their home.
Rule #2 Every battery has an ampere-hour rating – which indicates how long a typical battery can maintain – say for example 50 amps at a discharge rate of 1 amps per hour or 50 ampere-hours (Ah). A 2 amp discharge rate can be maintained for 25 hours. If you divide the 25 hours by 1/2, which represents 50% percent discharge or the point where the battery is no longer able to crank the engine – that leaves you 12.5 hours. - mechanics.stackexchange.com
A GOOD battery should be able to start the engine during an 8-10 hour current draw of 2 amps. After 10 hours, the battery becomes WEAK and you may experience starting problems! After 12.5 hours or more, your battery is DEAD or too weak to turn on the lights.
When I returned home from the visit, my son called me in a panic because his car would not start after stopping by the restaurant on his way home. I advised him to called roadside assistance for a jump-start and then head over to the auto parts store and have the battery tested. He decided to purchase a new battery after the old one tested 400 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) out of the rated 550.
Rule #3 Most battery manufacturers now use CCA ratings for batteries and not ampere-hours. The CCA rating for automotive batteries ranges from 315-550 CCA or 60-80 RC (reserve capacity). That’s 46.2 – 58.8 Ah. Reserve Capacity identifies how long a battery can deliver 25 amps at 80°F without falling below 1.75 volts per battery cell. - autobatteries.com
In
other words, if
a 550 CCA battery falls below 80% capacity – it will cause starting problems. When the battery was tested at the auto parts store, it showed 400 CCA out of 550 which indicates a battery replacement. 440 CCA is 80% of 550 –
which is the limit for battery replacement.
When my son got home from the auto parts store, he discovered the dome light on the right-side rear burning hot.
Guess who left the light on, again!
Wait
a minute!
“This is not a battery problem - this is a kid problem," I thought to myself!
"If you turn the light ON, then you must turn it OFF."
“But calm down and let's look at this situation...” I told my son.
Rule #4 To determine if your vehicle is pulling too many amps when the ignition is turned OFF. Follow this rule: A normal parasitic draw is about 50mA or 0.05 amps, but the range can be anywhere from about 0.03 to 0.085 amps (30-85mA). See homebatterybank.com
This is the original battery that is almost 7 years old. The average lifespan of a lead-acid battery is 4-5 years. In new or good condition, a battery should be able to withstand a 2 amp current draw for 8-10 hours or more and still be able to start a vehicle.
Was the battery already weak or shorted? Maybe!
Could this situation reveal hidden battery problems? I think so!
Should this kid be chewed or spanked (oops... I meant thanked)? Well, here's what we decided...
Use this opportunity as a teachable moment to help kids become responsible and learn the importance of turning lights OFF when they exit a vehicle. Besides, this will be an easy lesson at the next family outing, when the kids are hungry - all you have to say is:
"Will you remember to turn all lights OFF when you leave the vehicle?"
Rule #5 A current draw test can be done with a multimeter. This test will help you determine if electrical components inside the vehicle is discharging the battery when the ignition switch is turned OFF. Watch a YouTube video by Flashback502 that explains how to conduct an amp draw test...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQxknvD59GA
All of our car batteries are now kid tested and all is well!
My son has a new battery and the grand kids are more aware of turning lights ON and OFF when they exit a vehicle.
Grand kids – you’ve got to love them all!
